SQ 798 worthy of support
ON Nov. 6, Oklahoma voters will be asked in State Question 798 whether the governor and lieutenant governor should run together on a single ticket, beginning in 2026. This is an idea the electorate should support.
As it stands, the lieutenant governor has few duties and works independently of the governor. The lieutenant governor serves as governor when the governor is out of state, can break tie votes in the Senate on those rare occasions, and by statute serves on various boards and commissions.
This wouldn’t change if SQ 798 is approved. However, having the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team would help ensure the candidates share the same vision and can work together — something that hasn’t always been the case even when they’ve been members of the same political party.
Oklahoma isn’t breaking new ground with this proposal. Indeed, 26 states have their candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket. We’re one of 17 states where they run separately.
In a recent op-ed, former state Rep. Gary Banz, R-Midwest City, noted that several organizations through the years have supported the idea of a unified executive team in Oklahoma, including a government reform commission created by then-Gov. George Nigh. That was in 1984.
It’s time to finally make this change. The Oklahoman endorses a “yes” vote on State Question 798.
Looking for feedback
Oklahoma City Superintendent Sean McDaniel wants patrons’ ideas about the future of the school district. As part of a long-range project called Pathway to Greatness, the district has placed a survey at its website (www. okcps.org) and is hosting a series of public meetings that begin Nov. 5. In a recent blog post to district families, McDaniel pointed out that the district has about 38,000 students (not including those in charter schools) but is operating as if it has 60,000 students. One survey question asks parents whether they would be willing to send their child to a larger school if it meant access to more electives, a broader curriculum or other opportunities. The first public hearing is 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at Star Spencer High School, with three others that week. This is an important undertaking, and merits thoughtful and widespread participation.
Alaska politics
Governor’s races are on the ballot in Oklahoma and Alaska next month, but Oklahoma’s race is a boring affair compared with what’s going on in Alaska. First, on Oct. 16, Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, a Democrat, abruptly resigned, citing only “inappropriate comments” he had made. Then on Oct. 19, less than three weeks from the election, incumbent Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, announced he was suspending his campaign and throwing his support behind Democratic candidate Mark Begich. Republican Mike Dunleavy had been leading the three-way race in polling. According to Morning Consult, Walker was one of the nation’s least popular governors, holding an approval rating of just 25 percent. He edged out only Connecticut’s Dan Malloy and Oklahoma’s Mary Fallin. The Alaska race has taken many twists and turns and shows that, in politics, anything can happen … and often does.
A nice surprise
Each year, the Milken Family Foundation surprises outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers and principals with $25,000 to use as they please. The awards really are a surprise, because educators can’t apply for them and don’t know they’ve been nominated. Hailey Couch, a kindergarten teacher at Madison Elementary in Norman, was floored when her name was called during an assembly Tuesday. Couch, a fourth-year teacher, was among 40 winners selected nationwide, and the only one in Oklahoma. The Milken foundation honored Couch for being a strong advocate of individualized instruction whose classroom is an environment where “great expectations are made and met.” Congratulations.
Due process safe space
At American University in Washington, D.C., Amber Athey, an editor with the Daily Caller, gave a lecture this week on “how to preserve due process in the age of #MeToo” and how “believing all women actually hurts women the most.” The American University Women’s Initiative responded by pre-emptively announcing it would host a “safe space” for students, warning “news content can be triggering and you may find it beneficial to unplug from social media” during the lecture. When contacted by PJ Media, Athey said due process “should never make students feel unsafe” and that it is important to “balance the desire for justice from sexual assault victims with the rights of the accused. Otherwise, innocent people will be wrongly punished and victims will not get the justice that they deserve.” That doesn’t sound radical, yet it appears simple exposure to that argument is too much for some college students.
Obama and the truth
At a recent campaign appearance, former President Barack Obama declared, “I believe in a fact-based reality. I don’t believe in just making stuff up. I think you should, like, actually say to people what’s true.” That will surprise folks who believed Obama when he promised, multiple times while pitching Obamacare, that if they liked their plan, they could keep it. That promise can be called many things; “fact based” is not one of them. At the campaign event, Obama also tried to take credit for the dramatic economic improvement that has occurred since he left office. “So when you hear all this talk about economic miracles right now, remember who started it.” Does this mean Obama thinks George W. Bush deserves credit for economic improvement that occurred on Obama’s watch? Those who think hyperbole and narcissism began in the Trump presidency have short memories.
Economic success and politics
For months, countless reports have shown the nation’s economic trajectory has significantly improved since Donald Trump was elected president and Republicans retained control of Congress. New polling suggests voters have noticed the economic data and are making the correlation. According to a recent poll from NBC and The Wall Street Journal, Republicans now hold a 15-point edge on which party best handles the economy, with 43 percent favoring the GOP compared with 28 percent who pick the Democrats. The 15-point edge is the Republicans’ biggest lead on that question in the history of the poll. When asked which one or two issues would be the most important in deciding their vote, 38 percent said the economy and jobs, a higher share than any other issue-combo. This doesn’t mean Democrats won’t make gains in Congress, but Republicans’ economic stewardship has improved their odds of political success.